


color my sunset sky (and i'll color yours)

by orchardsky



Category: Motherland: Fort Salem (TV)
Genre: F/F, it's about the yearning, post-Season 1, scylla/tally friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:55:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24631918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orchardsky/pseuds/orchardsky
Summary: “Do you miss her?” It’s barely a whisper, but Tally is looking at Scylla with a gaze that’s equal parts gentle and burning.Scylla opens and closes her mouth dumbly, too overwhelmed by the racing of her heart to form a coherent sentence. The redhead just smiles at her, brows raised in an expression so Tally-esque that Scylla almost laughs. She lets out a breath.or:Scylla forms an unlikely friendship. Tally knows a good thing when she sees it.
Relationships: Raelle Collar/Scylla Ramshorn
Comments: 44
Kudos: 252





	color my sunset sky (and i'll color yours)

**Author's Note:**

> haven't been inspired to write anything in a while but i guess gay witches did the trick! anyway no proofreading we overuse semicolons like men

The first time it happens, Scylla can’t bear to look at her. 

She’s sitting in a cozy clearing underneath a dense thick of trees, her own hidden sanctuary in one of the quieter parts of Fort Salem. It’s not much, but it’s peace and quiet amidst all the new changes: the return of the Camarilla, the tense alliance between the Spree and the military, and now Scylla, back on base, working directly with those who chained her up just months prior. Anti-Spree sentiment still runs high in the military and Scylla figures that keeping to herself is the smartest option, so she passes time in her outdoor refuge and tries to forget who she’s really hiding from.

Sometimes she can catch the sunset through an opening in the ocean of leaves and distract herself with its orange hues, pretend that she’s not alone amid a brutal war. On good days, she can forget that she’s going against everything she stands for by working with the same military that plunged her into darkness. Pretend that she’s not constantly thinking about blue eyes and soft laughs and that crooked Cession smile.

Today is one of those days, and Scylla is admiring the sky’s blush when she notices a lone figure walking towards her. For a moment she wonders if it’s Raelle and she’s sick and relieved and hopeful all at once, a million words on the tip of her tongue- one glance proves her wrong and she’s taken aback to see a flash of auburn hair step into the clearing. Scylla pulls her knees up to her chest and looks away, throat suddenly dry.

“Tally Craven,” she remarks, feigning nonchalance and focusing her gaze on the pink clouds above. “Back from the dead.”

Tally stands above her, expression indiscernible. From the corner of her eye, Scylla notices that despite the return of her youth, the redhead still looks older somehow. More tired. “Not dead,” she replies lightly. “Just… old.” 

Scylla smirks. “Is there a difference? Giving up everything just to be one of Alder’s noisemakers, how _honorable._ ” 

There’s silence and for a moment Scylla thinks she’s gone too far; she’s surprised to find herself afraid that the other girl will leave. She opens her mouth for a half-hearted apology, but Tally just plops down next to her. “Hardly,” she huffs. “I wasn’t good at the whole hissing thing.”

Scylla finally brings herself to look at the other girl and she’s not ready for the shame she feels. Seeing Tally’s face is a jolt back to reality, a haunting reminder that Raelle is somewhere on base too, just as real as the girl next to her. All at once, she’s flooded with memories: piercing blue eyes, burning touches, one commanding hand on her waist and another in her hair. They come to her like the pieces of some fucked up puzzle of heartache and Scylla feels the cold wave of guilt wash over her once more.

_I’m sorry we ever met, Scyl._

Admittedly she feels something else too, the grounding warmth in her chest that’s become routine when she thinks of the blonde. Not war-torn, soldier Raelle; _her_ Raelle, smiling at her from across the infirmary or cupping her face with an indescribable tenderness. It’s the same warmth she felt when they found Raelle and Abigail alive, saved by some miracle of witchcraft. It’s the feeling of safety.

Tally pulls her out of her trance. “You’re hiding.” 

“People here aren’t exactly rolling out the red carpet to greet me,” Scylla says evenly, disguising any traces of hurt in her voice. “You should know that better than anyone.”

The other girl tilts her head and stares into the trees, a hint of mischief in her expression. “I wouldn’t be so sure.”

Scylla feels like she could cry and her poor brain goes into overdrive at the comment. She’s spent weeks dreaming of Tally’s implication; the mere notion that a future with Raelle exists makes her head buzz with desire and her breath stalls for a moment. Scylla has never been religious, but just this once she’s willing to get on her knees and pray for forgiveness.

The fleeting moment of hope crashes down on her as soon as it arrives and Scylla is pulled back into reality as Raelle’s last words to her echo in her mind. She shakes her head and looks back at the dimming sky. Tally just shrugs, but Scylla finds herself calmed by the other girl’s presence somehow; it’s as if there’s an unspoken agreement between them, an acknowledgement of each other’s complexities and of each other’s pain. There’s a long moment of silence.

“Do you miss her?” It’s barely a whisper, but Tally is looking at Scylla with a gaze that’s equal parts gentle and burning. 

Scylla opens and closes her mouth dumbly, too overwhelmed by the racing of her heart to form a coherent sentence. The redhead just smiles at her, brows raised in an expression so Tally-esque that Scylla almost laughs. She lets out a breath.

A few months ago- weeks ago, even- she would’ve stayed silent, put up her walls in a frantic act of self-defense. She would’ve stayed closed off, preserving her own pride, wallowing in guilt and hurt and love; but things are different now. The world has gone to hell and Scylla sees such genuine kindness in the girl next to her that she finds no reason to lie. 

“I don’t think I’m ever _not_ missing her,” she admits quietly. Tally just nods knowingly and stares up at the sky for a moment before rising to her feet.

There’s a whisper of a smile on her face, maybe even a twinkle in her eye. “See you around, Scylla.” She walks a few paces before Scylla calls after her. 

“Craven, you’re supposed to hate me.” The other girl just laughs. 

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” Tally quotes with a smile. “I’ll have time to hate you later.” With that the redhead disappears into the trees and Scylla stares after her, a new sense of hope and relief coupling the usual ache in her heart. 

She rests her head against the tree once again and turns her attention back to the sky, watches the sun descend into the clouds. For the first time in weeks, she lets herself think about Raelle. 

...

The second time it happens is only a few nights later, and this time Tally brings snacks. Scylla can only attempt a meager greeting before the redhead sits down next to her and offers her a cookie. There’s an awkward moment of silence as Scylla hesitantly takes the treat and gives the other girl an inquisitive look.

“I didn’t tell anybody about your little hideout.” The redhead affirms, intuitive as always. The knot in Scylla’s stomach loosens.

“Abigail would probably kill me if she found out about this.” Tally continues, pausing thoughtfully. “Actually, she’d probably kill you.”

Scylla gives her a look of false affront. “Really? You’d think Bellweather would have more pressing matters to deal with.” 

“Oh, you don’t even know,” Tally begins, exasperated.

And so they talk. Or, Tally does most of the talking and Scylla listens, occasionally interjecting with some snarky comment or a nod of understanding. Tally tells her about the missions Anacostia sends them on, the extra training she’s been doing to hone her skills. She describes her time as a biddy and how it feels to have your years stolen from you, suddenly older but none the wiser. She talks most passionately about the day she regained her youth, the same day of Abigail and Raelle’s return. It was a tearful reunion, to say the least. 

Scylla feels a twist in her gut at the mention of Raelle but she’s desperate to know more. “Your unit has been through a lot,” she prods.  


“Yeah. Abigail is doing fine, though, if you were wondering.” 

Scylla just looks at Tally blankly and the other girl gives her a devilish smile.

“You could just ask about her, you know,” she quips playfully, but her expression hardens into one of concern. “Raelle is strong. But the thing with her mom, not to mention almost dying and this war… She’s a fixer, Scylla, and she’s seeing, _feeling_ every casualty-” there's a crack in her voice. 

“I don’t know how much one person can take.” 

Scylla chokes back a sob and suddenly has the screaming urge to trace the shape of an ‘S’ in her palm, anything to show Raelle that she is here and ready to heal her and soothe her; she pushes the thought away with a shudder and fights back the tears that cloud her vision. Scylla realizes, in some fucked-up way, that she hasn’t felt this useless since the night of her parents’ death. She’s about to form a response when Tally abruptly stands up.

“What do you want, Scylla?”

“It’s not-,” she stutters, taken aback. “It doesn’t matter what I—" 

“Because I know what Raelle wants,” Tally interjects, exasperated. “And it’s hard for me to just sit here and watch you two keep punishing yourselves, as if a war isn’t punishment enough.”

Another pause. Scylla is speechless. Tally looks at her then, all fiery hair and determined eyes, and her demeanor suddenly shifts back to one of casual kindness. 

“I think Raelle would like this spot,” she says, and it’s a question and an answer all in one. “Don’t you?”

Scylla can only nod weakly and watch as Tally disappears through the trees and just like that she’s alone again with the sunset, sick with hope and fear and the weight of the girl’s words. 

...

The third time it happens, Tally is waiting for her. 

She’s ducking into the clearing to catch another sunset when she sees two combat boot-clad legs poking out from under the trees, and she just shakes her head and wishes a silent goodbye to the notion of her “secret” spot. 

“You know, Craven, you may as well pay rent if you’re going to—”

But it’s not Tally. 

Scylla’s breath hitches and she freezes in place, suddenly unable to form any coherent thought because Raelle Collar is sitting mere feet away, staring up at her with an expression so tired that Scylla wants nothing but to reach out to her and run her hands through her hair. Whisper in her ear. 

After a few moments Scylla returns from whatever astral plane she was just on and her mind starts racing again. She’s thought of this moment every day for months and written countless mental scripts of what apologies to utter first, but they’ve all disappeared; all Scylla can think about is the fact that Raelle is here and alive and looking so, so beautiful.

“Raelle,” she breathes, and the name feels too natural on her lips. She’s about to launch into a frantic explanation when the other girl shakes her head.

“Don’t,” Raelle says, but her voice isn’t cutting or hateful. “Just…Tally told me about the sunsets here. Let’s just…” 

She gestures noncommittally toward the sky, which is glowing the most beautiful orange that Scylla has ever seen. She nods silently and takes a seat across from Raelle, reluctantly tearing her vision away from the blonde to focus on the wonders above.

They sit there for what feels like an hour, or at least until Scylla’s breathing has evened out and she can sneak glances at the other girl without feeling like she’s going to pass out. She rapidly studies Raelle, revering the bend of her nose and the curve of her face. She drinks in the sight, half making up for lost time and half afraid that this is the last chance she’ll have; the weight of her feelings descends on her full-force and she’s suddenly hit with a memory that feels decades away. 

_I’m with you._

Raelle meets her gaze then, hard expression betrayed by a softness in her eyes. There’s so much that Scylla is aching to say, _I’m sorry_ and _I miss you_ and an endless _I love you,_ but she knows that the time isn’t right so she just manages a smile and hopes that Raelle understands. The gentle smile that the blonde gives her in return is enough to save the world.

It’s not much but it’s a start, an understanding and maybe even a promise. Scylla sends a silent thank you to Tally Craven and scoots herself closer to Raelle before looking back up at the final peaks of light decorating the night sky. 

For the first time in years, she appreciates its brilliance.

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed, feel free to come yell at me on tumblr @orchardsky if you liked it or want more!


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